Members of the Color Corps from the Saint John Paul II Assembly 3000 of West Hartford were participating in a mass when someone in the audience began having chest pains, and several members sprung into action to assist.

Submitted

On Jan. 9, 2022, nine members of the Color Corps from the Saint John Paul II Assembly 3000 of West Hartford convened to participate in the first Sunday Mass of the new pastor at the Church of Saint Peter Claver. We surprised Father Ford before Mass with a greeting by our nine Sir Knights. Father Ford is also a Fourth Degree Knight.

We processed down the aisle leading Father Ford and Deacon Bob as usual and returned to our places in the last pew of the church.

Courtesy image

About midway through Mass, the unexpected happened. From about six rows in front of us the silence was broken, a voice called out, “Call 911.” An elderly gentleman was experiencing chest pains and about to pass out. Without hesitation or regard for their personal safety, two members of our Color Corps jumped into action. They joined others to quickly helped the man recline in the pew and loosened his clothing. They kept him talking and check his pain level while comforting his wife and daughter. They stabilized him until the medics arrive and took him to the hospital.

Sir Knights Chris Delgross, a physician’s assistant at Saint Francis Hospital, and Neville Brooks, a retired assistant police chief from Hartford went well beyond their Color Corps duties that Sunday, as they used their first responder skills to help save a life.

For more information, follow the local Knights of Columbus Council 3600 and Assembly 3000 on Facebook.

Our Council here at the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle is one of more than 16,000 Councils worldwide. There are nearly 2 million members of the Knights of Columbus, all considered Brothers. We form the largest Catholic Fraternal Organization in existence.

Over the past decade, members have enabled the charitable donations of the Knights of Columbus to reach more than $200 million dollars and individual Knights have donated more than 100 million volunteer hours to Charities on an annual basis.

Since its founding in 1882 by the Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney, the first principle of the Order has been Charity. Our Council and those around the world actively assist the Church and our neighbors in need.

One becomes a member of the Knights of Columbus by participating in an Exemplification, a short ceremony on what it means to be a member of the Knights of Columbus.

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